Six Times Max Thought He Saw Something
by hiding duh
Summary: Max, Justin/Alex. And once he almost went blind.


**Title**: Six Times Max Thought He Saw Something (And Once He Almost Went Blind)

**Fandom**: Wizards of Waverly Place

**Characters/Pairings**: Max, Justin/Alex

**Summary**: And once he almost went blind.

**Rating**: PG-13

**Spoilers**: Movie.

**Word Count**: 1800

**Notes**: Sort of a companion piece to _Four Times Justin Was Totally In Charge (And Twice He Didn't Want To Be)_, but can stand alone.

...poor Max, always getting shafted.

*

_preschool_

This is what Max knows:

They're bigger than him. And they have _secrets_. He knows what secrets are. They're made of chocolate and magic and he thinks they're Alex's favorite thing in the whole wide world.

"C'mon, Max," she commands, dragging him across the attic floor. "It's time."

Max's feet thump against the floorboards as she pulls. His socks catch on splinters and slide off. It's okay. He has more in his room.

"Okay," he agrees, sucking on his thumb a little.

He's so ready for this.

When they play, Alex is always the daddy and Justin is the mom. ("Or I'll make you eat dirt, Justin.") Max is sometimes their baby or a neighbor or the mailman, but today he's going to be their flower girl. He likes flowers and he likes girls, so this is all very exciting.

"Alex, wait," Justin calls out from the doorway, clutching a big book, "I can't marry you."

"Why not?" Max whines, rubbing his dirty cheeks. If they don't get married, he won't get a cupcake. And he likes cupcakes.

Justin ignores him and flips to a page in that stupid book, crossing the attic to stand next to Alex. "This book says I can't."

She stares for a moment, and this is when Max would usually try to run away, but Alex grabs the book from Justin's hands and drop-kicks it into a darkened corner. "This is why I said you shouldn't learn how to read, Justin!"

"I liked that book..." Justin eulogizes.

"That book is _wrong_, okay," Alex says, and it must be true, 'cause Alex is never wrong. She looks around for a bit, then hoists Max atop a small cardboard box. "Change of plans," she grins. "You're going to do it, Max."

Max opens his mouth to say okay, though only if there's a cupcake involved, but Justin takes an angry step forward and slaps Alex's hands away. "You're not marrying Max," he says and Max thinks maybe Justin doesn't want to be the flower girl. They can trade. Max is okay with trading.

"No," Alex says and she looks at Justin like she's kinda sleepy. "I meant, _he_'s going to marry us." She tucks her hand into Justin's. "That'll make it okay."

Justin swallows a little, then nods. "Yeah. That'll make it okay."

This is what Max knows:

Justin is Alex's favorite thing in the world.

Max can probably keep that a secret.

*

_first grade_

"But no one remembered _me_?"

Justin looks really guilty, and Alex is doing that thing where she's sort of apologizing but not really.

"We would've come get you, Max..." she mumbles, convincing no one. "...ehh, eventually."

Max crosses his arms with a petulant huff. "You ran away," he accuses, pointing at their muddied backpacks and their scratched knees and the twigs in their hair, "without me."

Justin fidgets. "Max..."

"You coulda taken me with you," he argues, and it's not like he thinks they forgot about him. He's the baby. They'd never forget him. But: "I was mad at Mom and Dad, too, you guys!"

"Max..." Justin tries again. "We didn't get far. We... um... came back for you in the end?"

Suspicious, Max puts on his thinking face. "You did?"

"Hey, Max—" Alex says quickly, "—catch."

A wet pine cone lands in Max's hands.

"We, uh, got this for you?" she says and pats his head awkwardly.

Max exhales through his nostrils, suddenly giddy. "You. Guys. Are. Awesome."

"And we won't leave you behind next time," Justin promises.

They totally leave him behind again.

Once, on Mars.

*

_fourth grade_

The first time they go rafting in the Great Lava Rapids, there's this one moment, where they skid over a big rock and the dinghy lurches forward, propelling Max and Alex out of their seats.

And Justin's hands instantly wrap around Alex's arm, hauling her back.

...not even a brief hesitation, nope.

Max lets it go 'cause, whatever, he's alive, but it's still kinda weird, right? To just decide like that when there should be, like, a long mental list of pros and cons? Justin should at least pretend to deliberate or something. Especially when Max has always been the better sibling. Brought him a sandwich this morning and everything.

"Whoo," Alex pants, catching her breath and blinking at her half-burnt oar. "Well. That was certainly educational."

Yeah. It kinda was.

*

_seventh grade_

"This is my brother, Max," Alex introduces, grinning up at her newest boyfriend. "And this is Justin."

_Also her brother,_ Max should probably add, but doesn't.

*

_eighth grade_

"_Score_," Max grins, leaning out of his window.

There's a girl and a guy and a magic carpet soaring through the night sky, like in that lame movie Max will never admit he loves. Uh. _Likes_. He only sort of _likes_ it.

He stuffs the good part of a huge muffin into his mouth, squinting.

The guy looks pretty awesome out there. Maybe Max could try to pull off something like this, too, perhaps with Rebecca or Jenny—

Wait, that's his brother.

"Alright, Justin!"

The carpet dips closer.

...and his sister.

"Oh, hey, _convenient_," Max perks up, almost tumbling out of the window. "You guys! Dinner's ready!"

They're only slightly late for dinner—_freaks_—so Max says, around a spoonful of mashed potatoes, "I thought you didn't need flying lessons anymore, Alex."

Justin's fork clatters to the table, clinking against his glass.

"I don't," Alex says with a smirk. She steals a piece of meat off Justin's plate, adding, "Justin totally does, though."

Justin narrows his eyes, blocking her with his fork. "Oh, yeah. Says the girl who almost took out cable for the entire tristate area."

"_Alex_," Jerry growls, "not before the playoffs."

Alex just smiles and steals more food from Justin's plate.

*

_eleventh grade _

He's not ready.

He's so, so, so not ready. He can't do this. He can't compete against Justin and Alex. Justin has read every book ever, and Alex... well, Alex is going to cheat.

Max is going to lose. He's not afraid of losing because he's not really afraid of anything—well, disappearing during that one family vacation being an exception—but...

Magic is the only thing Max has ever loved.

Cupcakes are a close second. But yeah. He'd give up anything for magic. Even his Plan B is still all about doing magic things. Seriously. He'd give anything to be the family wizard, but his brother and sister want it just as much.

Maybe more.

Nothing is more important to them than this.

"Ready, Max?" Alex grins wickedly, tapping his shoulder with her wand.

"Good luck," Justin smirks as he brushes past him, holstering his wand like a weapon.

Yeah, Max is dead meat.

His heart is pounding hard enough to crack his ribcage when he shoots across the field, and you know, it's not really fair that Justin and Alex went through this bef—

"Bananas!" he shouts, startled. Some sort of weird water tentacle-y thing wraps around his limbs and it tickles, so he laughs a little, and then there's a pillar of fire surrounding that altar thing his dad mentioned and oh holy cupcakes, Max is going to _die_.

Except, he doesn't.

Instead, his palm is made to slap against the altar and then his whole body is warm.

_At least this_, he seems to hear as the power soaks into his skin. _At least, we can give him this_.

Buzzing with power, Max sails over his dad's head, cackling with joy.

On the ground below him, his siblings' wands lace together, then disappear forever.

*

_twelfth grade_

"...and that is how you run away from Genghis Khan," Kelbo pants, doubled over and resting on his knees.

Max collapses on the nearest couch, pulling broken arrows out of his battered armor. The lair's smoke detectors go off, and Max can't quite remember how to make them stop.

"Is Kelbo here?" Justin shouts anxiously, leaping into the lair.

"Great to see you, kiddo!" Kelbo waves, offering him an eager smile. He catches Max's eye, then pauses. "Uh. Time to go!"

He pops out, and Justin purses his lips. "Almost died again?"

"Sorry, sworn to secrecy," Max grins, sleepy.

Justin raises an amused eyebrow, replacing a book on one of the shelves. "Aw, you gonna keep secrets from your family now that you're a bigshot wizard, Max?"

Max sprawls out on the couch with a smile.

"Kelbo!" Alex demands suspiciously, barging into the lair, armed with a fire extinguisher.

Justin's lips curl up. He turns his back on her, restocking shelves that don't need restocking. "Hey. Max has _secrets_."

Alex scoffs, tossing the extinguisher behind the couch and dropping down next to Max. "Shyeah, you can't have secrets, Max." She pokes him with her foot, pouting. "Max. Maxie."

Max yawns, sits up, and rubs his hands. "Fine, I'll show you."

He travels back real quick and borrows Genghis Khan's helmet, then pops back in.

"Here—" he starts, super proud of himself, but Alex has moved from her spot.

So has Justin.

They're standing close, but not too close. Justin isn't staring at Alex, and Alex isn't touching Justin. Nothing out of the ordinary's going on. Just Justin and Alex, standing in the lair like they always do.

Max blinks.

Oh.

_Ohhh_.

"Gross!" he says, a little too loudly, and dumps the helmet on the table.

Justin jumps back. Alex doesn't.

"I know, right?" she says calmly.

Max feels stupid. Like, people have been telling him he's an idiot since forever, but really? Really? He missed _this_?

"Is there a spell for brain bleaching or something?" he grins, splaying his fingers behind his head and stretching.

"Yes," Justin says, tight-lipped.

Max falters.

"It's not what you think," Justin begins, spreading his arms in a wide, nervous arc.

"It's totally that," Alex interrupts, crossing her arms.

Justin's fists clench. "Alex."

"Justin," she mocks.

And Max just gets it.

This is why he has these wonderful powers and this exciting life and those stupid siblings.

So, yeah. He can give them this.

He cracks a grin and winks, placing a hand on each of them.

"Don't worry," he says and makes them face each other. "It's okay if I do it for you."


End file.
